Animal rights should be prioritised
Most of us during the lockdowns can continue to live our lives, mostly in the acceptable swing. We advocate for those who can't, try to draw the attention of the concerned, and contribute for them as much as we can . Or to be more specific, we humans can at least articulate and express our emotions and fight for them, if we choose. There are non-profit organisations who initiate feeding stray dogs during these tough times. But what happens to those lives whose freedom we deliberately curtail just for the sake of our own enjoyment? What happens to those pets, who are still left to be sold (!) or adopted and still are left in pet shops while there are restrictions declared to be effected thoroughly ? Why do these shops even exist in the very first place?
During the earlier 14-days strict lockdown, at least 400 birds as well as dozens of animals including dogs, cats, guinea pigs, rabbits and rats faced miserable death, suffocating and starving, in the country's largest pet shop hub, Kataban of the capital city Dhaka. In between the law enforcers' warnings and shop owners' demands, these are the innocent lives that are being lost. After the outcry, finally the shop owners got permission to have their stores partially open for four hours, in order to clean the shops, change water and serve food to the animals every day during the second phase of lockdown. But still this is not enough, according to them.
The shops owners are now demanding compensation for their loss, as they are still bound to pay the employees and bear the expenses but earlier in 2020, the government had announced a package of bank loans where shop owners could get a maximum of Tk 100,000 (Tk 1 lakh) as a loan of at least 4% interest from Sonali Bank, which, upon not having proper documents, many of them are not being able to consider as an option. So, the question still remains the same -- why do the shops even exist?
The leading municipal law in protecting animal rights has been The Animal Welfare Act, 2019 which repealed the decades old Cruelty to Animals Act of 1920, with an aim to ensure a more fruitful outcome in protecting animal rights. The provisions of this act are more comprehensive in nature and thus address cruelty to animals as a punishable offence as earlier. This act takes a leap forward in treating the animals with dignity. But it is not just the presence of an act, rather the proper implementation as well as acknowledgement can put the animals into a safer place. Section 6(C) of the said act includes not providing adequate food and water to the animals as a crime. According to section 16 (a), a person who commits a crime under section 6(c) or aids someone in such heinous crime, shall be entitled to pay Tk 10,000 as fine or shall be entitled to six month’s simple imprisonment or both. Ironically, the authority did not comply with its own directions in the recent unfortunate occurrence.
The action of the law-enforcing agencies upon the instructions from the government, was short-sighted to say the least, and should have contained proper directions regarding these shops, although keeping these innocent animals inside cages in the middle of a metropolitan area is itself cruel and derogatory. Allegations from the owners have been made that they were not able to set up coolers (exhaust fans) inside the shops because of objections from the residents in the DU area. This possibly resulted in even more suffocating conditions.
During Eid-ul-Adha, while bringing cattle into the city, the eyes of the animal were sprayed with pepper to keep them awake. Chickens and ducks are hung upside down by the sellers. These are just some of the common torture faced by animals
Dhaka, being the densely populated capital of Bangladesh, has the worst air quality, according to the studies. Dhaka’s air quality index (AQI) has been repeatedly ranking between hazardous to unhealthy rates, leaving chances of severe health complications for the residents. These animals are mostly foreign in nature, and adjusting in such hazardous air is itself a torture, as these are far away from their natural habitat, thus having them inside cages in the middle of the city can leave long-term negative impact in their health and psychology.
Despite from the times when there are instructions from the veterinarian, or during the time of travelling, a dog may adjust being confined in a small area, but apart from this, caging them could result in their aggression, withdrawal, hyperactivity, depression, eating disorders, obsessive licking, separation anxiety, inability to bond with humans and muscle atrophy to name a few. Not just dogs, even the other animals forcibly kept inside cages for business purposes might face such consequences.
Our approach towards treating animals is horrible. A few days back, three stray dogs were reportedly killed in Mirpur Duaripara Western Housing Phase-2 area. According to the locals, the perpetrators targeted the female and pregnant dogs. The local landlords were blamed as they often ill-treated the dogs because they created a mess in the locality. During Eid-ul-Adha, while bringing cattle into the city, the eyes of the animal were sprayed with pepper to keep them awake. Chickens and ducks are hung upside down by the sellers. These are just some of the common torture faced by animals.
Bangladesh has ratified the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), 1973, but the recent development projects have severely threatened our wildlife. Apart from banning illegal pet animal businesses, development projects should be focusing on being more eco-friendly.
Our attention in ensuring animal rights is just limited in inconsistent acknowledging. The leading act refers to the World Organisation of Animal Health (OIE) in identifying the humane ways in which an ailing animal may be put to rest, and follows the standards of Universal Declaration on Animal Rights. We have seen judicial activism in saving the wild animals like migratory birds and deer and some paradigm breaking instructions from court as well. But stricter laws and ensuring the implementation is required centrally. Otherwise, their rights shall be left overlooked. The higher judiciary had several noteworthy rulings in this regard. NGOs are voluntarily engaging in animal rights advocacy, but without maintaining a strict check from time to time, it would be hard to completely eradicate this cruelty towards animals.
Munirah Jahan is a student of the Department of Law, Bangladesh University of Professionals. She can be contacted at [email protected]